We stumbled across this quirky flick through watching trailers to other films.
Basic idea: quirky teen boy senses that he's not quite like the other kids at school. said boy seeks out appropriate romantic partner. boy aims to convince girl to attach herself to him socially. troubles arise, conflict ensues, growth of character develops.
The characters surprising and well played. The girlfriend is not cliche in her tastes, but also not untrue in her struggles. The way they depict the mother over the course of the film is particularly fascinating. You at first see a buttoned up mousey character, you come to realize her lost dreams and aspirations give her depth, and as you see her struggle, you realize her beauty. They accomplished this really well visually while developing these aspects through the writing. The tone was genuinely enjoyable. It had the right degree of voice of a high school boy in the making of the film, without giving way to the potential chaos that road could lead down to.
I went into it expecting a Wes Anderson-like, highly stylized film, with heavy sarcasm and cerebral wit. I think I got everything I was looking for in the viewing experience, with a whopping added dose of depth and substance. Some of these highly stylized films are so ironic, that truly dealing with any real issues is just below them. Not so with Submarine. The film tackles fidelity, illness, and depression, without breaking the light quirky format or doing a disservice to these weighty issues.
Not much else to say, but two claws up!
Have you seen it? What did you think?
sounds good! i want to watch it now. :)
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